Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine M. Russell travels to India, Nepal, and Pakistan on February 4 to 14 to meet with government officials, civil society representatives, and private sector leaders to promote the advancement of women and girls throughout the region. In India, Ambassador Russell will meet with law enforcement officials to learn about local policing efforts to protect women and to engage men as agents of change. She will meet with women political leaders on how India supports women’s political participation. Ambassador Russell will also meet participants from the South Asia Women’s Entrepreneurship Symposium, a State Department initiative, and visit a U.S.-supported effort to address girls’ education.

Continuing on to Nepal from February 8-11, Ambassador Russell will meet with women cooperative groups, entrepreneurs, and organizations involved in anti-trafficking programs. She will also meet with women activists and civil society representatives involved in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.

In Pakistan, Ambassador Russell will arrive in time to celebrate National Women’s Day, a day that marks the struggle of Pakistani women against discriminatory laws and celebrates the contributions Pakistani women will continue to make toward their country’s security, growth and development. Ambassador Russell will engage with government lawmakers on women’s legal rights in Pakistan and will speak at a public school about the importance of literacy and education. She will meet with U.S.-supported beneficiaries of microfinance programs, and speak with women who have survived acid-related violence. The Ambassador will also hold roundtables with policewomen, civil society members, women parliamentarians, and entrepreneurs from the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council.